The Torch of True Meaning

Anyone who wishes to practice the ngöndro of the Kagyu lineage and in particular the Karma Kagyu lineage should first read this text carefully and internalize its meaning. They will then have a stable ground for the practice of mahamudra. This is not just the correct way to practice, but also the most beneficial. -17th Gyalwang Karmapa. . .

The Torch of True Meaning: Instructions and the Practice Text for the Mahamudra Preliminaries

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye and the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje

Foreword by 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

December 2014, ISBN 978-1-934608-52-4, Paperback, 5.5 x 8.5 in., 184 pages, $9.95

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Includes ngondro recitation, Tibetan, English, and transliteration; Published by KTD Publications, Woodstock, New York and Kagyu Monlam, Bodhgaya, India

This new translation of the classic text, The Torch of True Meaning, by the great master and scholar Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye gives clear and concise instructions on the preliminary and main practices of mahamudra meditation. But it does not only teach mahamudra: this book describes vividly what is necessary for any meditation practice. It is presented here in a new translation that includes the previously unpublished final chapter of Jamgön Kongtrul’s work, a brief yet inspiring description of the actual practice of mahamudra.

Paired with Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye’s instructions is The Chariot that Travels the Noble Path, the standard practice text for the mahamudra preliminaries in the Karma Kagyu lineage, in a new version compiled by The Seventeenth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Together these two works are essential for anyone who wants to do the practice of mahamudra.

  • This is the reason why The Torch of True Meaning is such an important text: Composed by the first Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, it gives comprehensive instructions on how to practice the ngöndro, the essential preparation for all practitioners before beginning mahamudra. –Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa

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